Glossary of Caesar's Legion terms
The Caesar's Legion have created their own language, a combination of English, Latin and some particular terms adapted from Roman history, used in everyday communication. The following is an exhaustive glossary of Caesar's Legion terms, together with their translations (where applicable). Terms * Aeternit imperi: eternal authority; referring to the perpetual authority of Caesar on the Legion and used as an inscription in the Legion Aureus.File:FNV Legion golden coin.png * Amicus: friendWiktionary:amicus#Latin; used to refer to an trusted independent ally of the Legion.(Generic Caesar's Legion military dialogue) * Ave: hail; used as a greeting. * Caesar dictator: dictator Caesar or absolute ruler Caesar; used as an inscription in the Legion Denarius.File:FNV Legion silver coin.png * Capture, Captures: a term for persons that were captured during Legion raids and have yet to be trained into proper slaves.Canyon Runner: " Have you come to sell or trade for captures?" (Canyon Runner's dialogue)The Courier: "By "captures," do you mean "slaves"?" Canyon Runner: " But this is just a holding area, so all I do is assess their fitness and decide whether to send them on." (Canyon Runner's dialogue)The Courier: "How much would it cost to buy the three "captures"?" Canyon Runner: "It's a weak bunch, to be honest. I'd rather have extra currency to buy supplies or better captures off traders. There's a boy, too old to be trained as a Legionary. Normally they have to die, but he's too frail to make trouble. The old woman's dried up, but she could keep house or do gardening - if she can learn to keep her mouth shut. The girl's the only one of real value, young enough to breed, not hideous to look at. What's your offer for the lot?" (Canyon Runner's dialogue)The Courier: "Do you have any "captures" with the last name, "Weathers?"" Canyon Runner: " If they're fortunate enough to become slaves, a new name will be given to them - one they can be proud of." (Canyon Runner's dialogue) * Cedo Nulli: I yield to no one, spoken by the Silus by passing an intelligence check.The Courier: "Attack If you've got any last words, you'd better say them now, Legion scum." Silus: " " (Silus' dialogue) * Damnatio memoriae: condemnation of memory; used to denote archenemies of the Legion, slated for elimination and erasure from history. A declaration on a person or group that marks them as an enemy of Caeser's Legion in perpetuity. This is only given to those who aid and abet known enemies of Caesar's Legion. Many legionaries will attempt to assassinate those declared in damnatio memoriae as a sign of loyalty to the Legion.Beware the Wrath of Caesar!: For aiding and abetting the Legion's enemies, you have been declared "in damnatio memoraie " - an enemy of the Legion in perpetuity. Many will seek your head as a trophy. One such example of a person in damnatio memoriae is former Malpais Legate Joshua Graham, where even speaking his name can lead to one's execution.The Courier: "Tell me about the Burned Man." Vulpes Inculta: "Ah, yes He was a shaman of some kind before he met , a holy man from out of the Utah. The Burned Man proved dangerous, unpredictable, and impossible to kill. He helped form the Legion but almost led it to destruction." (Vulpes Inculta's dialogue) * Decimatio: decimation derived from Latin meaning "removal of a tenth", it was a form of military discipline used by officers in the Roman Army to punish mutinous or cowardly soldiers, used by the Legate in the Caesar's Legion against legionaries of an undisciplined officer. The Legate step to beat the failed commander to death in front of his assembled troops and after orders the decimatio. The legionaries are lined up in ranks. Every tenth man steps forward and is beaten to death by his comrades, instilling a robust obedience.The Courier: "He sounds more like a savage than a general." Caesar: " is savage. Savagely loyal, too, but only to me - he has no love for my Legion. But this has its uses. He has no attachment to his men, no compunction about battlefield losses. All he cares about is destroying the enemy. When another legatus or a fails to achieve results, I send to make things right. His first step is to beat the failed commander to death in front of his assembled troops. Then he orders the ritual of ." The Courier: "What is "decimatio?"" Caesar: "It means "decimation," but in ancient Rome the word had a very specific meaning - a punishment for cowardice. The Legionaries are lined up in ranks. Every tenth man steps forward and is beaten to death by his brothers. It instills a certain... robust obedience." (Caesar's dialogue) * Dissolute: from the Latin dissolutus, an immoral, degenerate person; a term used to refer to people who are not members or subjects of the Legion.The Courier: "Who are you calling "Dissolute?"" Lucullus: "All who are not Legion are "Dissolute." They live in squalor, unrestrained by morality, lacking moderation, temper, and self-control. Their very existence is a blight on the common good. Even worse are the Profligates, the subtype of Dissolute one finds this side of the river. They hold themselves to be civilized, when in fact they are corrupt and self-interested. The truth will be made clear to them soon enough." (Lucullus' dialogue)The Courier: "What are you going to do about it?" Dead Sea: "I'll execute Caesar's will by hurling your corpse into the Colorado - like the other Profligates before you!" (Dead Sea's dialogue) * Divide et impera: divide and conquer, an expression coined by the Roman military and political leader Gaius Julius Caesar. It is a combination of political, military, and economic strategy of gaining and maintaining power by breaking up larger concentrations of power into chunks that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy.The Courier: "What happened after you trained the Blackfoot?" Caesar: " - divide and conquer. I led the Blackfoot against the Ridgers, their weakest enemy. When they refused to surrender, I ordered every man, woman, and child killed. When next we surrounded the Kaibabs and they likewise refused... I took one of their envoys to the Ridgers' village and showed him the corpse piles. This was new for the tribes, you see. They played at war, raiding each other, a little rape and pillage here, a little ransoming there. I showed them total warfare. Like I said, there's a lot you can learn from old books." (Caesar's dialogue) * Et cetera: Latin expression that means and other things or and so forthWiktionary:cetera#Latin; abbreviated as etc. in common language. * Honestas, Industria, Prudentia: Honesty, Industry, Prudence; three virtues of slaves of the Caesar's Legion.The Courier: "It doesn't bother you, enslaving people?" Canyon Runner: " They live in pitiful squalor, undisciplined, intemperate. To enslave them is to save them - to give them purpose, and virtue. - even the virtues of slaves are beyond the Dissolute on this side of the river." (Canyon Runner's dialogue) * In hoc signo taurus vinces: under the sign of the bull you will win; an adaptation of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great's motto "In hoc signo vinces" incorporating the symbol of the Caesar's Legion, meaning that only those under the banner of the Caesar's Legion will win. * Magnum chasma: great abyss or great fissure; referring to the Grand Canyon and used as an inscription in the Legion denarius. * Pax Per Bellum: peace through war, an expression based on the Latin Si vis pacem para bellum meaning if you want peace prepare for war; it is one of the mottoes of the Caesar's Legion and used as an inscription in the Legion aureus. * Pax Romana: Roman peace, it was a long period of relative peace and minimal expansion by military force experienced by the Roman Empire in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD; Pax Romana in the Legion meaning long-term stability at all costs.The Courier: "What does "Pax Romana" mean?" Caesar: "It means a culture that obliterates the identity of every group it conquers. Long-term stability at all costs. The individual has no value beyond his utility to the state, whether as an instrument of war, or production." (Caesar's dialogue) * Profligate: from the Latin profligatusWiktionary:profligatus#Latin, a wasteful, shamelessly immoral person; term used to refer to enemies of the Legion, most notably the NCR.The Courier: "What is this place?" Severus: " " (Severus' dialogue)The Courier: "Do you see much action against the NCR?" Severus: "As much as their cowardice will allow. The Profligates avoid open battle, but on good days we find one of their patrols. Their landmines have caused us more trouble than their marksmanship - which is lacking." (Severus' dialogue)The Courier: " |Explosives}}" Severus: "SUCCEEDED The light is a button that can interrupt detonation? To rearm the mine, we'd just press the button again - simple. The Profligates will regret that we learned this." (Severus' dialogue)Severus: " |{Ken-TOO-ree-on} }}" (Severus' dialogue) * Rubicon: shortening of "crossing the rubicon" expression based on the Latin alea iacta est meaning the die is cast; Rubicon in the Legion meaning that events have passed a point of no return and that something inevitable will happen, especially used by Caesar to talk about the war against the NCR.The Courier: "So what's "dialectic" about you and the NCR?" Caesar: "The NCR has all of the problems of the ancient Roman Republic - extreme bureaucracy, corruption, extensive senatorial infighting. Just as with the ancient Republic, it is natural that a military force should conquer and transform the NCR into a military dictatorship. Thesis and antithesis. The Colorado River is my Rubicon. The NCR council will be , but the new synthesis will change the Legion as well... ...from a basically nomadic army to a standing military force that protects its citizens, ." (Caesar's dialogue) * Salve: hailWiktionary:salve#Latin meaning "take care of yourself, be in health"; used during a battle to greet a comrade. * Vale: farewell.Wiktionary:vale#Latin Titles and ranks * Caesar: The title bestowed upon the supreme dictator of the Legion and Son of Mars.Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide Collector's Edition p.41: "'''Caesar's Legion' ''This horde of cruel, yet highly disciplined slavers has spread across the southwest like an all-consuming flame. Founded by a fallen member of the Followers of the Apocalypse, Caesar's Legion is effectively an enormous, conscripted slave army. As Caesar conquers the peoples of the wasteland, he strips them of their tribal identities and turns their young men into ruthless legionaries and women into breeding stock. Unlike the rag-tag Raiders back east, Caesar's "Legionaries" neither look nor act like haphazard, irregular troops. They are well organized, moving and attacking in large packs, and deliberately commit atrocities to terrorize those who might dare oppose them. True, Caesar is the perfect man. But he is not just a man: he is the Son of Mars, ordained by the god of war to conquer all Earth. To prepare the way, Mars razed the Earth, cleansed it with fire, and brought the weak and the wicked low; and now his son has come to deliver the wasteland from chaos and barbarism. To follow Caesar is to obey the will of Mars; to disobey is to condemn oneself to death. As the Son of Mars, Caesar has the divine right to demand servitude from all he encounters. Not everyone believes that Caesar is the product of a god's loins, of course. The most recently captured slaves tend to be pretty skeptical. But they aren't very vocal in their criticisms, and their children are raised not by skeptical parents but by priestesses appointed to that task by virtue of their knowledge of an adherence to the state religion. Nearly all physically capable, compliant males are compelled to serve in its armed forces. The primary value of pre-menopausal females is to serve as breeding stock (with Caesar or a legate governing how they are assigned to males), though they, like older females and less physically-capable men, are also used to perform a variety of other tasks. The largest unit of organization in Caesar's Legion is the Cohort, numbering about 480 infantrymen. Cohorts are further divided into Centuriae, which contrary to their name numbers about 80 men, and each Centuriae is divided into ten "tent groups" (Contubernia), making this the squad level of organization. Raiding parties are of this size (about eight men) and will be led by a Decanus (a squad leader, basically). Caesar desires two things: a Carthage, and a Rome. In the NCR he has at last found a grand adversary, against which he can wage a military campaign worthy of history books. And in Vegas, powered and watered by its great dam, he has found a capital worthy of, well, a Caesar. Contrary to the old saw, Rome will be built in a day. All it takes is plentiful slave labor, and Caesar has that in spades." (Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide faction profiles) As of 2281, only Edward Sallow has held the title of Caesar. * Centurion: chief of a hundred; an officer rank in the Legion he had 10 Decanii in his command. * Cursor: runner or messengerWiktionary:cursor#Latin; used by the Legion as a title for a legionary who ferries along the Colorado River. * Decanus: chief of ten; an officer rank in the Legion he had 10 Legionaries in his command. * Frumentarii: from the Latin frumentarius, originally a soldier responsible for the collection of wheat owed to the Roman state by farmers, but later became to a military intelligence operative since Emperor Hadrian; used by the Legion as the name of their special forces operatives. * Legatus: often spelled Legate; a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a modern high-ranking general officer. Caesar's Legion uses the rank much the same way. There have only been two Legates in the history of Caesar's Legion: the Malpais Legate and Legate Lanius. Legatus are in command of cohorts that disseminate their orders to centurions in charge of Centuriae. * Praetorian: derived from Latin praetoriani, it was a force of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors; used by the Legion as the name of Caesar's personal guards. * Speculatores'The Courier: ''"Regis says I should talk to you about speaking against the Great Khans' alliance with Caesar." Melissa Lewis: "You can ask, but why would I do that? Karl's told me all about life in the Legion! He says I've got all the makings of a ." The Courier: "Did he also tell you women aren't permitted to serve in the Legion?" Melissa Lewis: "What? No, he... what do you mean, aren't allowed to serve? Why would he lie about that?" The Courier: "If the Great Khans join the Legion, you'll be sold as a slave. An officer's wife, if you're lucky." Melissa Lewis: "That lying little weasel! I almost fell for it, too! All right, you've got a deal. You can tell Papa I won't support an alliance." (Melissa Lewis' dialogue): spies; ancient Roman scouts that also performed reconnaissance of enemy movements when needed. They are used much the same way in the Legion. They are never seen properly in any game, but are known to exist and likely the reason for reports of the Courier's activity to Caesar. * '''Vexillarius: flag bearer; legionary carrying the standard of the Legion into battle.Wikipedia:Vexillarius Military Divisions * Cohort: the largest division of Roman soliders, a cohort was a standard tactical military unit of a Roman legion, though the standard changed with time and situation, and was composed of between 360-800 soldiers. In Caesar's Legion a cohort numbers 480 men and are commanded by a Legate. It is then divided into 6 Centuriae. * Centuriae: the midsized organized unit of soldiers in the Roman Army that originally composed 100 legionaries (as the name suggests), but became to only represent 80 men. Caeser's Legion's division is based on the 80 men division and led by a Centurion. It is then further divided in to 10 contubernia. * Contubernia: the smallest organized unit of soldiers in the Roman Army and was composed of 8 legionaries (tent groups) led by a Decanus. Used much the same way in Caesar's Legion.The Courier: "Why haven't you attacked the enemy?" Dead Sea: " attacked the enemy. I led the assault on Nelson with two contubernia against twice our number.|{offended} }} this position. Our mere presence this side of the Colorado humiliates and demoralizes the enemy.|{justifying yourself} }}" (Dead Sea's dialogue) Category:Caesar's Legion Category:Terms Category:Post-War language